Makes a Change...

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A COUPLE with TEN children who refuse to claim benefits said yesterday: "We're sick of scroungers ruining Britain."

Lee Hamlin, 39, and Emma Payne, 36, say they want their kids to understand the value of working.

They called The Sun after we told last week how jobless Moira Pearce, who has ten children by four fathers, is seeking charity hand-outs despite claiming £30,000 a year in benefits.

Lee, of Penistone, Sheffield, said: "It's a joke. She should get off her a*** and get a job, or make these dads stand up and pay for the kids."

The dad earns just £14,000 a year as a carer, while Emma fits in occasional shifts as a support worker around looking after their kids.

But they refuse to claim thousands in benefits for HOUSING, INCOME SUPPORT, plus WORKING TAX CREDITS, COUNCIL TAX ALLOWANCE or FREE SCHOOL DINNERS. The only Government help the family get is child benefit worth £114 a week.

Lee said: "We're working, but we're struggling. In an ideal world I would be on a lot higher pay, but that's not the way it is.

"I've just applied for a second job in a call centre for days I'm not working. I'd rather work seven days a week than have to rely on benefits."

Lee met Emma, who already had four children, in 1996, and they have had six kids together.

The couple, who have a second-hand Vauxhall Corsa that costs £50 a week in petrol, spend more than £200 on their weekly shop, going through 84 pints of milk, 21 loaves of bread and 24 toilet rolls. They try to save money by buying in bulk and often get half a pig for £60, which will feed them for several days.